unit X - weeks 1 and 2

Visiting Stockport studios was the kick off of Unit X, College One. I was introduced to the staff we’ll be working with as well as viewing the space I could be working in. The first two weeks were made up of lectures and workshops from the MMU staff working on the project and also from the organisations we could potentially work with for the duration of Unit X.

Lynn, my personal tutor, gave a talk and held a workshop to give us ideas on how to run our own workshops in our chosen placements. We worked with materials like plastic and paper to create group pieces of artwork. It made me consider how learning new skills can be faster or slower depending on who I am teaching, and how I can adapt certain methods of teaching for different skill levels.

First we visited Venture Arts, an centre in Manchester that holds classes and workshops for people of all ages with learning difficulties. It was good to meet the staff and some of the members, and hear about the projects they work on. I was surprised by the level of professionalism in the members’ work, most of it was brilliant!

We also had talks from the Zion Arts centre, The Ideas Foundation and a couple of schools. I enjoyed hearing what projects the organisations were working on. But the organisations that caught my eye the most were Arts for Health and Start in Salford. The arts for health option were offering placements to those who wanted to work with people in care homes with dementia and Start had opportunities to work with people suffering from mental health issues. I think these two organisations most interested me as they use art as a method of therapy almost. Art is often seen as a “doss” subject, overlooked by people as something used for fun and not given much merit, but here Art is important in opening people’s minds, building confidence and freedom that translates into other aspects of their lives, and often  (as with Start) about getting people qualifications. Start also feels quite close to my heart as I come from a family with some mental health issues like long term depression and bipolar disorder.

I think my skill set will help with working with my chosen placement at Start in Salford. I feel I’m a good listener and am able to adapt to working with various types of people. I feel this will allow me to help with teaching all sorts of personalities and ages.